


The New Girl

by Rosa_Cotton



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery
Genre: 3-Legged Race, Crushes, Curiosity, Drama, F/M, First Impressions, First Meetings, Friendship, Gen, Romance, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-07
Updated: 2014-05-07
Packaged: 2018-01-23 22:30:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1581749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosa_Cotton/pseuds/Rosa_Cotton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Diana Barry’s partner in a 3-legged race both perks Gilbert’s curiosity and deflects his attention. 1985 miniseries-verse, bookverse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The New Girl

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: _Anne of Green Gables_ , all characters, places, and related terms belong to L. M. Montgomery and Sullivan Entertainment.

Gilbert assisted Moody with tying the strip of cloth around their ankles. He looked up and was surprised to see two girls kneel down beside him and Moody, apparently going to take part in the three-legged race. He recognized Diana Barry but could not see her friend’s face; only a straw hat and a long carrot-red braid were in his view. Whoever it was, he did not know her, for no one in Avonlea had such red hair. Gilbert was immediately curious.

“Hey, Diana,” he called.

Both girls turned to him. He found himself gazing at a small face, cheeks and nose dusted with freckles and a pair of wide stormy grey green eyes, framed by two braids. Her dark blue dress made her hair and freckles stand out.

“Who’s your friend?” he asked.

“Anne Shirley,” Diana replied proudly, smiling at her friend and then at Gilbert.

He was little disappointed when they turned their attention back to tying their ankles together. He ignored Moody’s half-questioning, half-knowing look and instead hoisted the two of them to their feet.

“On your marks!” Mr. Barry called.

Moody and Gilbert put their arms around each other’s shoulder. Gilbert glanced over at the new girl and was rewarded with her meeting his eyes for a moment. He grinned cockily at her. Her only response was to focus her attention on Mr. Barry, her face filled with excitement.

“Get set!” Then Mr. Barry fired his gun.

Moody and Gilbert easily took the lead with their long legs and good pacing. A grin of sensing victory spread across Gilbert’s face as they neared the finish line. But his grin was wiped from his face when unexpectedly Moody tripped, falling to the grass- cushioned ground and pulling Gilbert with him. Both boys lay still for a moment, stunned by their fall. Slowly they sat up, checking for any injuries.

“Sorry, Gilbert,” Moody apologized, repositioning his cap.

“It is all right,” Gilbert said, patting his friend’s shoulder.

Both boys gazed toward the finish line where all the other racers were. Mr. Barry, beaming with pride, was presenting red ribbons to Diana and her friend, the winners of the race. Gilbert noted bemusedly that the girls had managed not to lose their hats during the race.

Moody moaned, “Girls…we were beat by the only girls in the race!” The poor boy’s cheeks burned in shame and embarrassment.

Gilbert was filled with too much curiosity to be annoyed at his and Moody’s loss. He simply watched the backs of Diana and her friend. Who was this girl that she had excitedly taken part in the three-legged race? Never had a girl before taken part in the game, and he remembered overhearing Diana claim she would never be brave enough to participate in such a boys’ game.

He watched as the girl suddenly looked back at him and Moody. He nodded to her grandly, his grin coming unbidden to his face once more. He then winked at her.

The small smile that had been on her face vanished as she pressed her mouth into a firm line, and her face almost became stern as she turned away.

Gilbert was shocked at this cold brush-off. He rarely winked at girls, and when he did, they did not ignore him but paid great attention to him. Frowning, Gilbert began to plot how he might get the girl to notice him in a favorable light. He wanted to discover what made this new girl so unique, act so different from the other girls of Avonlea.

Anne…Anne Shirley was her name.

As Moody began untying their ankles, Gilbert wondered if Anne was here visiting Diana, or if she was here to stay. He hoped desperately it was the latter.

THE END


End file.
